Opinion
It was a shock when, on September 16 2020, the Sea Eagles announced they were open to releasing representative prop Addin Fonua-Blake with two years to go on his contract.
Apparently Fonua-Blake was keen to get out of Sydney with his young family, which I guess you can’t blame him for.
But, would you believe it, the Tongan representative’s exploration of what else was out there lasted less than a week. On September 22 – just six days after Manly’s announcement – the Warriors were touting the signing of their new bookend as “one of the most important [in] the club’s history”.
He was also said to receive the kind of money commensurate with that status, doing a three-year deal reportedly worth $2.5 million, one of the highest annual salaries for a prop in NRL history.
The size of the deal and speed with which it was done must have left some Sea Eagles’ fans noses out of joint.
Like, was Fonua-Blake’s motivation really that he and his family wanted to leave Sydney’s gorgeous Northern Beaches for the suitcase existence the Warriors were living? Are you certain that huge wad of money wasn’t offered well in advance and that’s what it was really all about?
But what’s done is done and now AFB is a Warrior.
And he will be for a long time to come, the Kiwi club having announced at the end of January that they were extending the 26-year-old all the way until the end of 2026.
Million Dollar Man series
A look at each club’s million-dollar man – the player broadly acknowledged to be taking up the largest individual chunk of the salary cap (even if they aren’t actually quite grossing seven figures).
» Can Tevita Pangai Jr finally put it all together at the Bulldogs?
» An off year or the beginning of the end for Jason Taumalolo?
» Scorned by Souths, it’s Reynolds to the rescue in Brisbane
» How much blame does Luke Brooks deserve for the Wests Tigers’ finals drought?
In announcing the extension, the club highlighted the big fella’s output for 2021, during which he “averaged 160 metres and 26 tackles a game with an impressive defensive efficiency rate of 96.8 per cent. He added 20 off loads and 33 tackle breaks.”
They’re impressive numbers, no doubt, although they were across just 15 matches, as he missed a large portion of the season due to a knee injury.
Now, that’s not necessarily a problem – rugby league is a collision sport and injuries happen. But it’s also a reason to be wary of signing players to long-term deals.
I mean, AFB was one year into a three-year deal. I get that you don’t want to let him go to the open market, but there was plenty of time to see how he fared this year before they needed to lock him away for five more seasons.
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
But, again, what’s done is done and the Warriors are clearly happy with this particular bit of business. So good for him and good for them.
As for what it means for 2022, I’d say this may be one of the most important years of AFB’s career, because it shapes as an indicator of what player he’s going to be now that his future is settled – armed with one of the longest current contracts in the game.
Some players hate uncertainty and thrive in the knowledge they don’t have to worry about any of that off-field stuff.
But others, even if it’s subconsciously, become lazy. Some simply coast, putting in minimal effort until it’s a contract year again and then suddenly they show the kind of form that earned them a long, fat deal in the first place.
For what it’s worth, Fonua-Blake does not strike me as the type to do the latter. He’s a ruthless competitor – perhaps the highest compliment I can pay him is that he’s one of the most booed players I’ve ever seen play the game live.
Oh and he absolutely froths on that. Boo me? Cool, I’ll shut you all up by single-handedly destroying your entire pack.
AFB at his rampaging best is a terrifying, intimidating, red-lining madman. Although that also has a tendency to get him in trouble.
Which brings up the aspects we can’t ignore. He’s also the bloke who called referee Grant Atkins a “f***ing retard” in 2020 – for which he copped a two-match ban and a $20,000 fine – and was sacked by St George Illawarra in 2015 for assaulting his partner, Ana.
To his credit, he pleaded guilty to the assault charge, telling the Sydney Morning Herald he “needed to take ownership of what I did”.
“Had I gone the other way and told the judge ‘not guilty’ it would’ve been a lie … I couldn’t do that because it would have added to Ana’s hurt,” he said.
I’m a believer in second chances and Ana stood by Addin, saying in that same feature, “I could see he needed help and I couldn’t leave him where he was”.
But as far as rap sheets go, these aren’t incidents we can fob off as being ‘silly’ – he’s carrying two major strikes. One more and the Integrity Unit would be forced to have some difficult conversations.
None of which is me death-riding the bloke. Hopefully he’s learnt his lessons, and as a result is a better husband, father and player (the importance of the first two being a thousand miles ahead of the third).
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
Best-case scenario
While Tohu Harris was named club captain just prior to Christmas – and rightly so – you’d think AFB’s name would have been in the conversation.
Fonua-Blake is regarded as a leader for his club and country, running for 165 bustling metres in Tonga’s 2019 win over the Kangaroos – a stat bettered only by Jason Taumalolo of either side’s forwards that day.
So a top year would involve continuing to stamp himself as arguably the best forward at the Warriors, which is no mean feat in a squad that contains Harris, Eliesa Katoa, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Jazz Tevaga and Matt Lodge.
But if his efforts inspire his fellow pigs, then that’s a pack that can take on just about any in the comp. Then with Shaun Johnson back pulling the strings for the speedsters out wide, well on their day the Warriors could cause some upsets.
Add in a few games back home in the Land of the Long White Cloud for the first time since 2019 and it’s not crazy that AFB’s best year will see him playing finals footy in a team that, as mentioned above, could even knock out better-rated sides.
Worst-case scenario
Let’s assume a clean bill of health and unquestionable effort, which would mean the biggest concern is that the red mist continues to plague the firebrand forward.
You’d hope he’s learnt to control his temper by now. But if he hasn’t, it’s not a crazy suggestion that a game will roll around in which he’s playing in a losing team, one that’s still unable to get home to New Zealand, and with some of his teammates continuing to yo-yo in terms of their personal efforts, seeing the big man snap and do something stupid.
In that scenario, a lengthy stint on the sidelines would be the minimum dished out, with questions raised about his long-term future in the game.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Zac Lomax has added further to his Origin case with another strong performance in the Dragons' stunning 30-12 boilover win over the Warriors in…
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
This one will hurt. James Fisher-Harris’ unexpected exit from Penrith to the Warriors at season’s end not only has ramifications for those two clubs…
Sell-out home games, plenty of away support, merchandise flying off the shelves and NZ Media outlets leading with Warriors’ game commentary on match day…
James Fisher-Harris is set to return home, with the marquee player announced as signing with the New Zealand Warriors. The New Zealand franchise has…
1. Manu is not No.1 at Roosters Everyone knows Joey Manu is a really good fullback. He’s probably in the top five in the…
